The Song Remains The Same
by IMTheresa
Summary: The demon has been destroyed, but life still isn't easy for the Winchesters.  Now, instead of the yelloweyed demon, Sam and Dean have to fear other hunters.  Definite AU.
1. Chapter 1

**The Song Remains The Same**

**Chapter 1**

oooOOOooo

**Disclaimer**: I don't own 'em and I'm certainly not making any money off of them.

**Author's Note**: I found about two pages of a story on my hard drive a while back. It had been started about mid-season one, but abandoned for one reason or another. I really liked the opening paragraphs when I came across it not too long ago and decided to resurrect it. Going that far back in time to finish the original idea didn't feel right, so I revamped it into what you'll see here.

It's definite AU; post-demon and John is alive. Kristine floats in and out, but, as always, the focus is on the Winchesters. Let me know what you think; as always, I value your opinions!

oooOOOooo

_Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival - __C. S. Lewis_

oooOOOooo

Kristine sat on a couch in the hotel lobby watching people walk by. She dug in her purse for her cell phone and after checking the time, looked up to see a tall man, dressed all in black, coming through the revolving door. She watched as he seemed to take in every detail of the lobby and, though anything but ordinary, it was almost as if he disappeared from the room completely. No one but her even appeared to notice him. He walked toward her, deliberately, yet somehow casually at the same time, and sat on the other end of the couch.

"Jesus Christ, John, could you be any more dramatic?"

John Winchester broke into a smile and Kristine slid closer to him, leaning into a familiar hug.

"You get here okay?" he asked, an arm still around her shoulders.

"No problems."

"How are you?"

She only nodded. "I talked to Bobby a few weeks ago and Joshua stayed at the house for a while."

John made a mental note to get back to his question. "I can't remember the last time I talked to Joshua."

"Have you talked to anybody recently?"

"I didn't ask you to meet me here so you could give me crap." John said.

"Really? I'm shocked. Why did you ask me to meet you here, then?" she asked, her tone light.

Kristine saw John's jaw muscle flex as he stared across the room.

"John?" she asked after a few moments. He squeezed her shoulders and pulled her closer.

She already knew that something was wrong, but now she was more than a little worried. "I rented a suite. Let's go talk in private."

oooOOOooo

Kristine slipped out of her jacket and tossed it on a chair while John made a mental inventory of the room. She grabbed two beers from the small refrigerator and handed one to him as they settled on the couch.

"Kind of ostentatious, isn't it?" John asked after taking a sip of beer.

"You can stay in fleabags if you want. I like clean bedding and an honor bar."

John almost laughed.

"So what's going on?" Kristine asked after a few moments of silence. "I know you haven't talked to your sons recently."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Don't give me that. You know Dean and I talk. You should try it some time."

"Are you giving me crap again?" he looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"What's going on, John? What was so important you couldn't talk to me about on the phone or come to North Carolina?"

John leaned forward, rolling the beer bottle in his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. "You know, I thought when we finally killed the demon that life could be normal again, but I don't think that's ever going to happen."

"What do you mean?"

"The boys are still hunting."

Kristine nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"I wanted Sammy to go back to school. I wanted Dean to settle down –"

Kristine couldn't help but laugh. "Settle down? Dean? He can't stay in the same place for more than a few weeks. As for Sam, he came really close to losing Dean more than once in the last couple of years and he's not ready to split up to go back to school."

"I've been hearing things."

"I thought you retired."

"Semi-retired."

Kristine rolled her eyes. "What have you been hearing?"

"That's why I've been out of touch. I was looking into the rumors; trying to figure out what's going on. There's a group of hunters organizing."

"Organizing for what?"

"Even though Sam hasn't had a vision in over two years….There are still hunters who think he's dangerous."

"They're organizing to hunt Sam?" Kristine was incredulous. "And you haven't told him or Dean about this? John –"

"I only just found out, Kristine. And that's why I didn't want to come to North Carolina; I don't know who all might be involved and I didn't want to risk being seen –"

"You think hunters coming to _my_ place might be after Sam?"

John put the beer on the coffee table. "I don't know much of anything yet. Just that things are in the works."

Kristine looked at him, then sat back on the couch and sighed.

oooOOOooo

Kristine Ryan became a part of the Winchesters' lives several years ago. Not long after Sam left for Stanford, Dean was hunting with his father. They were going from Tennessee to South Carolina to check out a job John had heard about, but they weren't in any hurry. Dean had gotten pretty banged up in their last hunt and John wanted to give him plenty of time to heal.

Planning to stay in Raleigh for the night, they were on a back road when they came across Julia, Kristine's mother, standing next to her disabled car on the side of the road. John managed to get it started and they followed her into the small town where she lived to make sure she got to the garage safely.

Julia insisted on repaying their kindness with a room at the bed and breakfast she owned. The connection between the families was discovered when Dean and Kristine were talking over coffee a couple of days later. Her older sister had been killed by the same thing that took Mary Winchester, Dean's mother. Of course none of this came out in a straightforward conversation, rather one filled with vague and circular references.

It wasn't long after this realization that Julia also died. Her death was outside the pattern that John was in the process of piecing together, but she died in a mysterious fire in her bedroom that unexplainably started on the ceiling. Despite the one inconsistency, they knew the killer had to be the same thing John had been tracking for nearly 20 years.

These days, Kristine used her mother's estate as a safe house for hunters. They came when they needed rest and, sometimes, medical care. She also used her skills as a therapist to help them when emotionally. The people of Mountain Lodge, the small town where she lived, knew she ran some kind of a clinic on her family's land, but because of her status, excessive questions weren't asked. The Ryans had helped to found the town generations ago and she did enough philanthropic deeds to keep everyone satisfied.

oooOOOooo

Kristine looked at John. "So there's a group of hunters forming and you felt you couldn't tell me on the phone or come to North Carolina? Or call your sons?"

"I told you Kristine, I didn't want to be seen at the safe house quite yet. And the boys…."

"You promised them you wouldn't keep them in the dark any more."

John nodded and took a long swig of the beer. "I know."

"And if there are hunters, _hunters_, after Sam…."

John stood up and walked across the room. After staring out of the window for a few moments, he began to pace. He had taken his sons down a path he never intended. After his wife was killed when Sam was just a baby, he came upon the hunter's world and found himself a part of it before he realized it had happened. He had been desperate to find Mary's killer and felt that he had gotten a little closer with every job, but it had never occurred to him that the search would take over 20 years ….nothing had worked out like it should have.

"John?" Kristine interrupted his thoughts.

"Gordon is out of prison. I think he's the one organizing the hunters."

Kristine stared at him, obviously shocked. "Gordon will go after them just for kicks. How long have you known he was out of jail?"

"I….not long. I have people keeping an eye out for him, but he's not surfaced yet."

"John, damnit! Stop acting like you're the only one in this. No matter what you say or do, your sons are going to do what they want to. If they want to keep hunting, they will. And if you want to help keep them safe, you have to be up front with them. About everything. All the time."

"It's not everyone who gets away with talking to me like that," John said, with no shortage of affection for Kristine.

"Yeah, well, it's not everyone I let get away with what I let you get away with. I came here to see you without a good reason, just because you asked me to and –"

"It's not a secret that the boys spend quite a bit of time in Mountain Lodge and they'd be easy to find there; their guard down. I asked you to come here so we could safely talk about –"

"John, if I'd been hearing rumors about this –"

"I know you'd tell me. Or Dean. But you might have heard or seen something without even realizing it." John held a hand up as her expression darkened. "Not that you don't know what you're doing. I'm going to have the same conversation with Ellen --"

"You haven't even told Ellen? John! You _know_ Gordon had contacts that came through the Roadhouse. You –"

"Stop it!" John's exasperation won out. "I'm going to talk to the boys and Ellen and…."

He sat down on the couch again and looked at Kristine, feeling an empty despair that he only guessed was reflected in his expression. He couldn't speak as Kristine sat next to him and took one of his large hands in her much smaller ones. He heard her sigh.

"I'll answer your questions. I'll do whatever you need; you know that," Kristine squeezed his hand. "But you have to tell Sam and Dean about this. You can't let Sam run around unknowingly while hunters are trailing him."

John nodded, looking away.

"Is there something else?" Kristine asked, her tone gentle, but skeptical.

He took a deep breath before answering. "No. It's just…."

"Just what?"

"I never meant for the hunt to take over 20 years. And I hoped when it was over that the boys would be safe." John looked at her with tears in his eyes. "They're never going to be safe, are they?"

"They know how to look out for themselves," she answered helplessly. It wasn't every day the great John Winchester showed such raw emotion.

"Are you happy with the way things are? With Dean, I mean?"

Kristine blinked. "They are what they are."

"That isn't what I asked. If you could have anything you wanted, would you want Dean to be with you all the time?"

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable having this conversation with you," Kristine said.

"I just….I wonder if they'll ever be able to live normal lives or if I've ruined them."

"They're not ruined, John. They're strong and loving men….they have issues to be sure, but who doesn't? There are plenty of people who didn't grow up as supernatural hunters who can't stand being in one place for too long or who can't have a real, committed relationship. Don't judge yourself a failure as a father because your sons are still hunting evil and saving lives."

John sighed and Kristine smiled as John took the cell phone from his jacket pocket.

oooOOOooo

"Where are you headed next?" Bobby Singer asked as he came back from the kitchen with coffee in a large mug.

He and the Winchester brothers finished cleansing a haunted house just over the border in Wyoming after exorcising a demon not much further away.

Dean shrugged, staring into his own mug. "Hadn't thought about it."

Prior to destroying the yellow-eyed demon that killed their mother and Sam's girlfriend, the brothers spent all their time on the road hunting evil. That wasn't the case anymore. They had a few bases of operation around the country and sometimes spent weeks with their father. He had continued to move around quite a bit, even after the demon was destroyed, but was finally making a home near Ellen Harvelle. They weren't involved, at least the brothers didn't think they were, but a friend of hers had been interested in selling his garage and Ellen convinced John to buy it and settle down.

"We haven't heard from Dad in a while. Ellen doesn't know where he is, either," Sam commented. "Maybe we'll see if we can track him."

"Yeah, because that always works so well," Dean grunted. He looked at his cell phone when it started to ring, then raised his eyebrows at Sam and put the phone to his ear. "Hey, Dad."

He kept glancing at Sam as he listened to his father's voice to the point where Sam started to fidget.

"What?" he demanded when Dean finally ended the call.

"Gordon is out of prison." Dean looked at him and Sam nodded, his expression neutral. "There's more."

"Tell me."

Dean glanced at Bobby, then looked back to his brother. Ever since Sam was born, it had been Dean's job to keep him safe. Dean felt it instinctively, even at the age of four. Their father never told him it was his job, he just knew it. For a long time, part of keeping Sam safe meant not telling him things because couldn't be scared of what he didn't know about. That tactic hadn't worked for a long time, but it was still Dean's first instinct.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Dad said….He said there are some hunters organizing and…."

"And what, Dean?" Sam asked in an obvious mixture of fear and impatience.

"Dad thinks they're being led by Gordon and that they'll come after us."

"After me, you mean."

"Hey, what affects you affects me."

Sam looked at his brother affectionately.

"Where's your dad now?" Bobby asked, drawing their attention.

"Richmond, Virginia."

"Are we supposed to meet him there?" Sam asked quietly.

Dean nodded, then looked back to Bobby. "We should get going."

"I'll be a couple hours behind you."

"You don't have to come, Bobby."

"I'll be a couple hours behind you," Bobby said again. "Keep in touch."

oooOOOooo

"You okay?"

The brothers had been on the road for almost three hours and Sam had yet to say anything. He'd been leaning against the passenger side door, silently staring forward. Dean knew he wasn't really seeing anything outside the window, nor was he sleeping when his eyes were closed; he was brooding and thinking about the situation.

Their last encounter with Gordon ended with the hunter's arrest. He'd kidnapped Dean with the intention of luring Sam and then killing him. During a routine exorcism, he'd discovered that Sam had visions that were somehow connected to the yellow-eyed demon being hunted by the Winchesters. In his mind, that made Sam evil and something to be hunted. Sam outsmarted him and rather than kill him, he'd anonymously called the police, making sure to mention the hidden arsenal in his car.

"Sam?" Dean prompted when his brother didn't answer.

"It's not just what happened when Gordon got arrested, is it?" Sam finally said, his voice quiet.

Dean chanced a glance at him as he navigated a curve in the road. "What do you mean?"

"Gordon isn't coming after me because I bested him and called the cops. He's coming after me because of the visions."

"You don't have visions anymore."

"Does Gordon know that?"

"I don't know, Sammy. But don't you think it's just as likely that he's coming after us because of what happened before and he's using the visions as an excuse to get those other hunters to join with him?"

"Whatever," Sam muttered. "I guess the reason doesn't really matter."

"It matters to you, though, doesn't it?" Stealing another glance at his brother, Dean saw Sam set his jaw before turning away. He decided to leave him alone for the time being.

oooOOOooo

"So, you think my house is bugged?" Kristine asked John over dinner.

He shrugged. "If it isn't now, it probably will be. The boys still operate like we used to; deep under cover. Gordon is good, but I'm betting my sons are better. He can't track them without some outside help."

"And that help is me."

"Maybe Ellen, too, but…."

"That bastard."

"He's been called worse."

Kristine took a sip of water from the glass in front of her. "I talked to Dean three days ago. If Gordon already had people or bugs in the house….You have no idea where Gordon is?"

"No."

"You think they're okay?"

"They're due to call in twenty minutes."

Kristine nodded silently and John smiled at her. "There's no reason you can't call now."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

John was confused. "Why do you say that?"

He watched as a sea of emotions floated over Kristine's face. She gripped the glass of water with both hands and was clearly struggling to maintain some composure. He hesitated for a moment, but then reached out and put a hand on her wrist. He felt a slight flinch, but she looked at him with a small smile.

"Your older son is very complicated," she began a moment later. "He's strong, loyal, smart…but he's also skittish. I don't cling too tightly."

"That kind of leads back to our earlier discussion."

"The one I'm still not going to have with you," she squeezed his hand. "But before you go blaming yourself for Dean's lack of commitment, you have to know that I'm far from perfect myself."

"No one is perfect."

"The reason Dean and I aren't together isn't entirely his fault, John. My whole family was destroyed by that demon. Hell, Patrick was possessed by one of its children and nearly killed me. I have my own issues, John," she said and pulled her hand away. "Maybe we should go back to talking about Gordon and what he's doing."

oooOOOooo

"You want to stop for the night?" Dean asked. They'd been on the road for several hours, stopping only for gas and coffee and Dean was tired. Sam's mood hadn't lightened, no matter what tactic Dean tried. Finally, he'd given up and let Sam brood in peace.

"Sure." His tone was neutral.

"Maybe get something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Sam, you haven't eaten since breakfast and we've been in the car for twelve hours."

"I said I'm not hungry, Dean."

Dean sighed to himself and took the next exit. Sam waited in the car while Dean secured a motel room for them.

"I'm going to grab something from the diner next door," Dean said as he opened the Impala's trunk. "Are you sure you don't want anything?"

"Yeah." Sam grabbed his bag.

"I'll call Dad. Unless you want to."

"No, go ahead."

"Sam…." Dean shook his head. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Dean watched as his brother unlocked the door and disappeared inside the room. He noticed that the light didn't come on and sighed as he walked to the restaurant on the next lot. Like most places that touted having food 24 hours a day, it was entirely too bright and the happy yellow paint on the walls nearly made Dean shudder. He was the only customer and the waitress behind the counter didn't look any more thrilled with the décor than Dean.

He ordered a BLT for himself and a bowl of soup for Sam, hoping he would change his mind about eating. While waiting for the food, he pulled out his cell phone and called his father's number while moving to a corner away from the counter.

Since finding out about Gordon being out of jail and probably organizing hunters to come after his brother, Dean had tried not to think about it. That wasn't easy with said brother brooding in the car next to him, but keeping the music on a little louder than normal helped. He'd made a couple of scheduled phone calls to their father, but the conversations had been short and he'd yet to talk to Kristine. While listening to his father's phone ring, he wondered what she thought about that.

"Hey," Dean heard his father's voice, quiet on the other end.

"Hi, Dad. We've stopped for the night. We've got about twelve more hours before we get there."

"Everything okay?"

"Sure. Considering there's a madman after my brother."

"Well, yeah, other than that."

Dean smiled to himself, knowing his dad was trying to keep things light. "Sam's brooding and not eating. I'm picking up some food and hoping I'll be able to talk him into it."

"Old habits die hard. How are you?"

"Me? I've been trying not to think about things."

"Look, Dean, I've been thinking….I should have brought you two in on this as soon as I suspected something was going on. I guess I'm not doing a great job at changing."

Dean was surprised by the apology because it wasn't generally his father's way. He wondered how much influence Kristine had over him.

"Dad –"

"You know, if I'd been sure about any of it, or if I'd thought you and Sammy were in any immediate danger…."

"I know, Dad."

"Your brother's probably pretty pissed at me."

"He'll probably get to that," Dean laughed.

"You know, I couldn't help but notice that you've called four times without asking about Kristine. And since I've been with her most of the day, I know you haven't talked to her."

"Is she all right?" Dean asked, almost without thinking about it.

"She seems okay, but she never really answered when I asked her. She's changed the subject every time."

That caught Dean by surprise and he was suddenly very concerned about her. They generally spoke a few times a week and, after her recent stay in a mental institution, he hoped he'd know if something was wrong. He hadn't told his father about that and he didn't think that Kristine had either, so he had no intention of mentioning it now, even though he knew his dad was fishing for information.

"Hey, Dad, the food is ready. I need to get back to Sam, so I'll call you in the morning."

"All right. Good night, Son."

"Good night." Dean took the large paper bag that contained his food order and then walked back to the motel, calling Bobby along the way.

---

When he got back to the motel room, Dean found Sam lying on the bed furthest from the door. He was on top of the covers, fully clothed and staring at the ceiling. Sam barely acknowledged his brother's entrance into the room.

Dean put the bag on the table without a word and slipped out of his worn leather coat, tossing it over a nearby chair. After cleaning up in the bathroom, Dean went about taking things out of the bag and watching his brother out of the corner of his eye. Sam seemed to take no notice of what he was doing.

"I talked to Bobby," Dean mentioned as he set the container of soup on the night stand between the beds. "He's a couple of hours behind us, but is going to stop here. I talked to Dad, too."

He took his own meal and sat on the edge of the other bed. Sam had yet to move.

"Sammy," Dean said gently, leaning forward slightly. "You need to eat something. Please?"

Sam blinked hard, but said nothing.

"It's just vegetable soup, but it will do you good."

Sighing, Sam sat up and reached for the soup.

"You want to talk about this?" Dean asked after his brother had swallowed a few spoonfuls of the broth.

"What's to talk about?" Sam asked, his voice gravely.

"Dad wanted to know if you were pissed at him for not telling us about this immediately."

Sam smiled lightly. "He's just being Dad, man. Too much has happened to get mad at him for doing what he's been doing all my life."

At first, Dean wasn't sure if Sam was being genuine or if he was being sarcastic, but the expression on his brother's face told him he was sincere. After a few more swallows of the soup, Sam spoke again.

"You and Dad almost died. I'm not going to start that old war with him again."

The final battle with the yellow-eyed demon had been hard won. Each of the Winchesters suffered injury, but Dean's and John's had been life-threatening. Dean was in a coma for weeks and John still had to do special exercises because of the back injury he sustained.

Dean looked at his brother, sure his face showed the surprise that he felt. He'd noticed that even when the three of them were together, the fights that had become commonplace between Sam and their father didn't happen. They hadn't talked about it, but Dean never thought Sam had been consciously avoiding them.

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Dean said. "But maybe we should have talked about this before."

Sam shrugged.

"He said he was sorry about not saying something when he first found out."

"John Winchester apologized?"

"Yeah. He apologized and you….It's a banner day."

"Thanks for the soup."

"Don't mention it."

They turned the lights out and crawled under the covers half an hour later.

_tbc_


	2. Chapter 2

**The Song Remains The Same **

**Chapter 2 **

oooOOOooo

**Disclaimer**: See chapter 1

oooOOOooo

_Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake - Napoleon Bonaparte _

oooOOOooo

Kristine lay awake in one bedroom of the suite, staring at nothing in particular. She'd heard John in the living room earlier and could smell the scent of coffee brewing. It was going to be a long day of John making phone calls and trying to track down Gordon. She never had any trouble entertaining herself, even now that her drinking was greatly curtailed and her more exotic sexual escapades were over.

Ever since her older sister and nephew were killed by what she now knew was a demon, Kristine had been in an out of mental hospitals. She'd been extremely close to Lauren and, as a teenager, even a natural death would have been difficult for Kristine to get past. Several years later her mother was killed by the same demon and her brother-in-law, Patrick, was injured while trying to save her. His reward for the chivalry was being sentenced to life in a wheelchair. A few years later, Patrick was possessed by one of the demon's children and nearly killed Kristine. Sam and Dean had come to her rescue and though Patrick was successfully exorcised, the trauma inflicted on his already broken body during the possession was too much for him to survive.

Kristine managed to get through college and became a therapist. She used her skills to help the hunters that came to the safe house, but, until just over a year ago, she also had a practice in nearby Ashville. She took a leave of absence when her symptoms became too extreme. Dean happened to come for a visit while she was spiraling toward rock bottom. If it hadn't been for him, she probably would have killed herself by now.

In an effort to feel something, anything, she had begun to drink to extreme. She also would search out ways to inflict physical pain, including cutting and burning herself and engaging in violent sex with strangers. With Dean's encouragement, she went to her supervisor at the Asheville clinic and he arranged for her to be admitted to an exclusive hospital in Colorado that specialized in her particular disease.

It was an intensive six-week program after which she returned to Mountain Lodge and began her life again. Dean was there when she got home and spent almost three months with her. The people in her small town were convinced that he was planning to stay for good, but Dean and Kristine didn't even talk about the possibility.

It wasn't that Kristine didn't think about it; she did. She sometimes even thought it would be nice to have him around all the time. But she realized that Dean's calling would always be the hunt and that the Impala would be more of a home to him than any house ever could be. She wasn't sure she minded because she knew she still had a long way to go in her recovery. A few months after returning home from Colorado, she gave up her position in the Asheville clinic. She still had twice-monthly sessions with a psychiatrist and was on an antidepressant and mood stabilizer. And though she managed to somehow still help the hunters that came to her, she was afraid to deal with average patients and didn't think she would ever be able to again.

She knew that John had told Dean she was with him and wondered why he hadn't asked to speak to her, or call her phone. She also wondered why she hadn't made the same call to him. They'd been together a few weeks before and hadn't parted on bad terms. There had been several phone calls a week since then. Sighing, and deciding that she didn't want to think about it right now, Kristine got out of bed. In the half-bath in her room, she cleaned up and put on jeans and an oversized sweater. As always, she avoided looking at the scars on her arms as she dressed.

John was on the couch, phone in hand and a lap top computer set up on the coffee table in front of him. He nodded and smiled as Kristine slipped by on her way to the coffee pot. She grimaced at the small cup provided by the hotel and poured the coffee. By the time she settled in a chair on the other side of the coffee table, John was off the phone.

"Why, John Winchester! Look at you; all high-tech and what-not," her lips stretched into a friendly grin.

"It was a gift from the boys and I have to say, it's come in handy. That idiot at the Roadhouse gave me a few pointers."

Kristine had never been to the Roadhouse or met Ash, but she heard a lot about him from Sam and Dean.

"I hear he's more of an idiot savant," she joked.

"Whatever he is, he's annoying as hell. He helped with the demon, though, so…."

Kristine put her bare feet on the edge of the coffee table and sipped at her coffee.

"Dean already called this morning. He, Sam and Bobby still have about 12 hours on the road; they should be here around 6:00 tonight if everything goes okay. They haven't seen anything."

"That's good. If you're right about Gordon, he's probably casing the safe house or maybe the Roadhouse. You talk to Ellen yet?"

John nodded, avoiding looking at Kristine. She grinned into the cup, but said nothing. Trying to get him to talk about Ellen would only lead to him wanting to talk about her and Dean; that was something she wanted to avoid.

"So, how have you been doing?" John asked, still looking at the computer screen.

"All right."

"Just all right?"

"Good and bad, like anyone else."

Kristine knew that John was a skilled observer and she wondered what he might have noticed about her. Six months before, she would have not been as willing to see him because no matter what kind of makeup she used, her face had a very haunted look to it. She was still struggling with the medication and suffering side effects while her doctor adjusted the doses to find the right combination.

"You know, I tried to call you at the clinic." John's tone was still nonchalant. "The receptionist said you hadn't worked there in quite a while."

"Yeah, that's true. I'm spending more time at the house."

"That all there is to it?"

"John, you know I love you and I'd do just about anything for you, but…."

He nodded. "I got it."

"Thank you," Kristine said quietly. "What's for breakfast?"

As if in response, there was a knock at the door and someone called, "Room service."

Kristine laughed. "You ordered room service?"

"It's even better than an honor bar," John said as he headed for the door.

oooOOOooo

Sam lightened up as the day went on. By noon he was almost joking and when they stopped for lunch, managed to eat half of a ham sandwich. Bobby was following in his truck and joined them for lunch; Sam always enjoyed being around the old man. In some ways, Dean understood it. Bobby was a lot like their father, only without the orders and the secrecy. The relationship his brother had with Bobby was what he might have had with their dad had circumstances been different.

"You talk to Kristine yet?" Sam asked when they were about three hours outside of Richmond.

"No," Dean said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the question.

"Why not? You guys are okay, aren't you?"

"Yeah, we are, but….I don't know."

"What?"

"It's complicated."

"You make it complicated," Sam muttered.

"Maybe," Dean admitted. "I think she likes me with her, but she's just as glad when I leave."

"I know how she feels."

Dean looked over to see the grin on his brother's face. "Bite me, Sam."

"Why don't you call her before we get into town," Sam suggested.

"I've been thinking about it."

"Think about it much longer and we'll be there."

"Bite me, Sam," Dean said again. He sighed. "We need gas anyway."

---

Sam insisted on pumping the gas and after a nod to Bobby, the older man went into the store. Dean didn't like that they seemed to be working together, but knew there was nothing he could do about it. He walked to the side of the building, trying to figure out why he was nervous about calling Kristine. They'd been through so much together, and had spoken just a few days before. His discomfort made no sense. Squaring his shoulders and chastising himself for being stupid, he dialed her cell phone number.

"Hey." All of Dean's nervousness evaporated when he heard the familiar voice and he felt all the more the fool for letting it get to him.

"Hey. I should have called before."

"I could have called."

"Yeah. So, why didn't you?"

"Why didn't you?" Kristine countered.

"We could do this all day."

She laughed. "Where are you?"

"Two, three hours out. I'm sorry you got mixed up with this."

"It kind of goes with the territory," Kristine said. "Besides, I don't like someone using my place to go after other hunters. Especially Winchester hunters. How's Sam doing?"

"He was pretty moody for a while, but he's better now. Have you been cooped up with Dad this whole time?"

"Not exactly. He's gone out a couple of times to do whatever. I went out for a while. We had lunch together."

"Huh. You two are pretty chummy."

"I've always liked your father," Kristine hesitated. "I was thinking about telling him about the hospital."

"Oh yeah?"

"He knows I'm not at the clinic anymore."

"I didn't tell him –"

"No, no. He tried to get in touch with me at the clinic and found out."

"It's up to you if you tell him or not," Dean said gently, knowing that Kristine didn't want her latest hospitalization to be fodder for gossip. Other than her former supervisor and a couple of friends in Mountain Lodge, only he and Sam knew about it.

"Yeah, I know. So, Sam was moody. How are you doing?"

Dean sighed. "I don't know. Things have been different since we destroyed the demon. Sam and I – I finally see him as an equal and not my little brother, but having someone after him like this has brought up all those old big brother habits."

"That makes sense."

"I guess. I'd better hang up; we just stopped for gas and the longer we hang out here, the longer it will be before we get there."

"Drive carefully."

"Always. See ya soon."

"Feel better?" Sam asked when he and Dean were back in the Impala.

Dean didn't answer and pressed the gas pedal harder.

oooOOOooo

John was pacing angrily when Kristine came into the suite later. She'd been wandering the shops in the lobby when the call from Dean came. She wasn't particularly interested in shopping, but John's constant phone calls were beginning to make her nervous and she needed some time away. There were a lot of times like this before the demon was destroyed; times where the family and trusted friends banned together to fight something. Kristine always felt honored to be included on the short list of friends, even though being on that list often made her a target. She wasn't a hunter, but the Winchesters trained her in some basic techniques and she'd learned a lot over the years on her own and with the help of the hunters who came to the safe house. She could be depended on in a crisis and was proud of what she'd accomplished.

After slipping her cell phone back into her purse, she went to the main lobby and settled on one of the oversized chairs facing the front doors. Never keeping her back to a door was something she'd learned from Dean, but it was difficult to keep an eye on the multiple entrances and exits in the lobby.

She'd never seen Gordon in person, but she'd seen a few pictures and her blood ran cold when she spotted someone who looked very much like him standing across the room. She had no idea how he would have found them here; Kristine knew John was too good to let himself be followed and she was confident in her own skills as well. John had been very specific about making sure she wasn't followed while making her way from North Carolina.

After watching him for a few minutes and becoming more certain that the man was, indeed, Gordon, Kristine pulled her cell phone out again and dialed John's number. She grunted in frustration when the call went straight to voice mail. She left a message, keeping an eye on Gordon.

He still stood across the lavishly furnished room. There were many kinds of people wandering about and he was not out of place in a leather coat and jeans. He was near a large bank of windows, his back to the room, seemingly staring at the people walking past on the sidewalk. She didn't think he'd seen her, but she didn't want to take any chances so she moved to a more secluded location from where she could still see him.

He stood straight, his hands clasped behind his back. He didn't seem to have a care in the world; like any other man on vacation. Kristine knew his being in a posh Richmond hotel was not a coincidence. After a few minutes, she tried John's cell phone again. This time he answered.

"I'm a few paces behind you," John said. "That him by the windows?"

"Yeah."

"Go back to the room."

"What are you going to do?"

"Kristine." John's tone was firm. "Go back to the room. And don't call the police."

"All right," she sighed to herself, knowing better than to argue. "Be careful."

---

John saw the change in Gordon's body language as he got closer and he knew he'd been spotted. Normally he'd be more covert, but he had no interest in dragging this thing out. If Gordon fell, he suspected the rest of the hunters would quickly lose interest in his son. John didn't think that, after spending time in prison, Gordon wanted Sam because of the visions. He was convinced that Gordon wanted revenge; it was Sam who called the police and even made sure they knew about his hidden arsenal. John understood revenge. He'd spent over 20 years of his life trying to avenge his wife's death, after all. But he wasn't about to let someone, especially a loose canon like Gordon, get anywhere near his son.

"John." Gordon's tone was congenial as the other hunter took a spot next to him.

"Gordon."

They both stood with their hands clasped behind their backs, facing the window. John noticed that there was no reflection and he briefly wondered how Gordon noticed him. It was his intention to be seen, so the way it happened wasn't important at the moment.

"What brings you to Richmond?" John asked after a moment of silence.

The hunter turned toward him and smiled broadly, his mouth all white teeth and gums. "I heard you were here and I thought I'd say hi. I know we'd never met in person before now, but every hunter knows of the great John Winchester."

"You're out of prison a little earlier than planned."

"I didn't want to be there any more," he answered, as if he'd been at a party instead of a maximum security prison. "It actually took me longer to get out than I thought it would."

"Well, congratulations, then. What are you plans?"

"I thought I might kill your son."

"I can't let that happen." John matched Gordon's still jovial tone.

"I don't recall asking your permission."

"Yes, well, here's the thing. I don't care what you want. You're not going to hurt my son."

Gordon smiled again. "You're right. I'm not going to hurt him; I'm going to kill him. I happen to know that he and Dean are on their way and should be here within the next hour or so. Bobby Singer is with them, following in his own truck."

John felt sick, but he didn't let on to Gordon.

"How is Kristine doing? This is a nice place she picked for everyone to stay."

"I could snap your neck and be out of here before you fall to the ground," John said, his tone menacing.

"Don't forget about the hidden security cameras," Gordon smiled.

"I haven't."

Gordon hit John on the arm. "It's been good talking to you. We'll see each other again."

As John watched, Gordon walked toward the revolving door, a smile on his face. On his way to the elevator, John took out his cell phone and dialed Dean's cell number.

---

"How did you pay for this place?" John demanded as he barreled through the suite door.

"One of the credit cards we set up –"

"Start packing."

Kristine knew better than to ask questions right now. Almost everything was still in her bag so it didn't take long to pack.

"Where are we going?" she asked once she'd rejoined John in the living room.

"Did you rent a car?"

"No."

"My truck is nearby. Let's go."

Kristine couldn't help but notice the change in John. He was in full hunter mode and she knew that he expected her to fall into line. She wondered what would happen when they met up with Sam and Dean; Sam had made a concerted effort to be less antagonistic toward his father, but this was just the type of situation that would test his resolve.

She said nothing after they got into the truck and John navigated the Richmond streets. Using back roads, they headed in a generally west direction and John pulled into a diner parking lot about an hour later. Kristine saw the familiar Impala parked near the door and Bobby's truck close to the road.

There were only a few other customers in the restaurant; Bobby and the Winchester brothers were easy to spot at a table near the back, next to a window. The brothers stood up and hugged their father as he approached the table, then Dean took Kristine's hand and led her to a chair next to where he'd been sitting.

"Dad, how did Gordon find us?" Sam asked once they were all settled around the table.

John shook his head. "I don't know. You two didn't see anyone following you?"

"No." Dean was emphatic and Bobby agreed.

A waitress came to take their order and once she was gone, they began to discuss a strategy. No one was particularly interested in food, but the coffee was good and strong. The waitress ended up leaving a pot at their table and when they decided to move on, Kristine left a large cash tip for her.

They had decided that since Gordon was already on their trail, the best way to defend themselves would be to do so at the safe house. They knew the building, the area and it was one of the few places where they had home field advantage. The next best place was Bobby's salvage yard, but the safe house was closer.

"Kristine, you'll call the safe house and have the arrangements started?"

"Yeah, John, I'll do that."

He nodded. "You're sure the staff can be trusted?"

"I hope so. But I know the one person I'll be talking to can be trusted. 

"Okay. Let's head out then."

In the parking lot a few minutes later, Sam announced that he would ride with his father so that Kristine could go with Dean. Before giving anyone a chance to comment, he moved to John's truck.

---

"How are you handling this, Sammy?"

There was a time when the childhood nickname would have caused Sam to bristle, but he'd learned that it was a term of endearment used by his father and brother. Most of the time, Dean remembered to call him _Sam_, but their dad rarely did. It didn't bother him anymore; in fact, it made him feel loved.

Sam shrugged. "I'm trying not to think about it."

"I thought once the demon was gone, you and your brother…."

"What, Dad?"

"I wanted you and Dean to settle down and have normal lives."

Sam smiled at his father's choice of words. He had always talked about having a _normal_ life, dreamed about it, even ran away to California to try to have one.

"Dad, we're fine. We're doing what we want to do."

"You know this isn't the life I wanted for you."

"I know that. Dean does, too."

"I –"

"Dad, where is this coming from? We've had this discussion before."

"I just want you and your brother to be safe and happy."

"Dad, we are happy. We're fine. Hell, we could be living anywhere and doing anything and people like Gordon could find us. Or we'd run into some supernatural thing. We know too much. And by knowing what we do, we know how to be safe."

John looked at his son. No matter how volatile their relationship had been in the past, there was always an undercurrent of love. Sometimes neither one recognized it, but it was always there. Sam reached out and touched his father's arm as John's eyes went back to the road.

---

"So, Sam was subtle, huh?" Kristine smiled.

"It's hard for someone so tall to be stealth. Did you tell Dad about –"

"No, I didn't get the chance."

Dean nodded. "You okay?"

"Sure. No. Damnit, Dean, how did Gordon find us? I keep thinking it was something I did. I'm not as good at all this covert stuff as you guys and –"

"Dad never would have asked you to meet him in Richmond if he didn't think you could do it without being followed. Gordon knew were Sammy and I were, too. All it takes is one little leak; it could have been anything."

"I guess." Kristine slumped in the seat.

Dean glanced at her, then reached for her hand.

_tbc _


	3. Chapter 3

**The Song Remains The Same**

**Chapter 3**

oooOOOooo

**Disclaimer**: See chapter 1

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who is keeping up with this one. Things are just getting started.

oooOOOooo

_The will to win is worthless if you do not have the will to prepare_

_Thane Yost_

oooOOOooo

Gordon walked into a bar near the motel he and the hunters he'd organized were staying. His followers were sitting at a back table, each of the five men were hunched over a beer and staring at nothing in particular. He slipped into the empty chair and leaned forward, his elbows on the table and his hands clasped in front of him.

"I made contact with Winchester and ran him out of town."

One of the hunters looked at him. "What was the point of that?"

"It puts them all off-center," Gordon said to Allen, as if the answer was obvious.

"When are we going to take the boy?" the same hunter wondered. "Wouldn't it have been easier to take him when it was just him and his brother on the road? What are we waiting for?"

Gordon glared at him. "We're waiting for the right time."

"Do you know where Winchester went?" Dave, another hunter asked.

"He met up with his sons. They're headed back to North Carolina."

"To that fortress of a safe house?" Allen demanded.

"It's hardly a fortress," Gordon scoffed.

"Look, when you recruited us, you said we were after Sam Winchester because of his connection to the demon that killed his mother and because of his visions. That's all well and good, but we had the perfect opportunity to get him before he knew anyone was on his tail. Now, not only does he know, he's teamed up with his father. I don't want to go up against John Winchester."

"He's just a man. A man who's been injured and isn't in top shape anymore."

"This is sounding more and more like revenge than hunting something supernatural," Allen said as he stared at Gordon.

"Who are you to talk to me that way?"

"This is bullshit," Allen said. "I'm not going to play this game anymore."

"Where are you going?" Gordon demanded as the other man stood up and tossed a few dollars on the table to cover his beer.

"I'm finished with this." Allen stood up and marched out of the bar. Gordon hesitated only a moment before following him.

---

Dave was sitting on top of his bed when he heard a knock at the door. He and Allen had been sharing a room and he hoped it was his friend knocking; it had been over three hours since he left the bar with Gordon on his heels and neither had been seen since. Dave called his friend's cell phone number several times, but only got his voice mail.

Holding a gun behind his back, he looked through the peep hole, then kept the weapon at the ready as he opened the door.

"Jeffrey, what are you doing here?"

The young hunter slipped into the room, looking into the parking lot behind him quickly.

"Close the door," he said, clearly nervous.

"What's going on?" Dave closed the door and faced Jeffrey, putting the gun on the small table that was next to the door after engaging the safety.

"Gordon has lost his mind, man."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, you saw him. And I think he killed Allen."

"What?" Dave asked.

"Have you seen Allen since he left the bar?" Jeffrey demanded.

"No,"

"He's not interested in killing that Winchester kid because of his connection to a demon. He wants revenge."

"That's what Allen said. Revenge for what?"

"Gordon tried to kill him and the kid ended up turning him in to the cops. He broke out of prison, man."

"How do you know that?"

"I finally got in touch with someone who knows Gordon. He's been underground for a while; working on something, so it took a while for him to get back to me. He knows all kinds of stuff it woulda been nice to know before getting involved with that freak. He's done a lot of bad things, man. I'm only here cuz Allen is – was – your friend. You deserve to know. Me, I'm heading out of here with the rest of the hunters and getting away from that guy."

Jeffrey pushed past Dave and with a shaking hand, opened the door. "If I was you, man, I'd get out of here, too."

As Dave watched, Jeffrey disappeared into the darkness. He closed the door and sank down into the nearest chair. He'd only been hunting for a couple of years and his mentor was recently killed in a battle with a demon. Dave had never met John Winchester, but he had heard as many good things about him as bad. Making a sudden decision, Dave quickly packed and jumped onto his motorcycle, parked just outside his room. A few minutes later he was on the way to Mountain Lodge, North Carolina.

oooOOOooo

When the Winchesters and their friends got back to the safe house in Mountain Lodge, it was nearly dawn and they were tired. Kristine's most trusted staff member had made up rooms for them after performing a thorough check of the house. It was always protected by symbols and rituals, but those things were only for supernatural creatures.

The phone call that Kristine made before they left the diner hours before had been to someone who could take care of other types of physical security. They would be trained on the provisions made in a few hours. After a quick check of the house themselves, they all settled into bed and it wasn't long before everyone was asleep.

---

The house was a large, white Victorian with six original bedrooms. Some other rooms had been converted and now there were ten, with space for more hunters, if it was needed. Generally, there were no more than five or six at any one time, but three had been times when more needed shelter. Other times, like now, the house wasn't being used and the Winchesters and Bobby had it to themselves for the time being.

The house also contained a large library that, in the past had only housed fiction, particularly great works of literature. Kristine's father had been an attorney and some of his law books had a home in the library as well. Now, there were books the hunters could use for research. thanks to Bobby. After Pastor Jim's death at the hands of one of the yellow-eyed demon's children, some of his books had also been moved to the safe house.

Kristine's family bought the land and built their home and the outbuildings nearly one hundred years before. They were among the founders of the town and Kristine still had social and political obligations due to her family's status, but that also gave her important contacts that were helpful to the hunters.

Kristine didn't normally sleep in the estate house. She had made a home out of what used to be a caretaker's cottage on the edge of the property and that's where Dean knew he would be able to find her when he woke up later.

---

He'd been asleep for almost five hours and was wide awake when his eyes opened. Out of habit, he looked toward the bed next to his and saw Sam still sleeping. He got out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans, then wrote a note for his brother before leaving the room. Dean checked on his father and Bobby on his way downstairs; both were still sleeping in a shared room.

Dean hadn't wanted Kristine to be by herself, but the best he'd been able to do was get her to agree to stay in the house rather than in the cottage. He looked in the bedroom she'd settled in last night and wasn't surprised to find it empty. When he didn't find her in the kitchen, either, he opened the back door and headed to the cottage.

It was almost a mile from the house on a dirt road through the property. He could have walked it with no problem, but took the Impala instead. Arriving at her small house, he sat behind the wheel for a moment, watching her on the porch. She was sitting on the top step, her hands clasped between her knees. She was wearing the same clothes from the day before. Dean got out of the car when she turned toward him.

"I thought you were going to stay in the main house." He sat down next to her.

"I did. I've only been here for a few minutes."

"It's dangerous to go off on your own."

"I guess. Sorry."

Dean knew something was wrong, not that it took any advanced powers of deduction to figure that out.

"You want to talk about it?"

Kristine shook her head.

"You take your medicine?"

She looked at him, her expression somewhere between hurt and embarrassed. "Yeah," Kristine whispered.

"I'm sorry, I just –"

"It's okay."

"Kris –"

"No, really. It's okay." She leaned against him for a moment and then stood up. "You want some coffee?"

Dean followed her into the house.

oooOOOooo

John didn't like being in a defensive position, so he rarely let it happen. He didn't have all of the pieces to the puzzle, but he'd been afraid the safe house was compromised before he contacted Kristine and when Gordon found them in the Richmond hotel, he knew he'd been right. It wasn't Kristine's fault; she'd been making sure the house was safe from demons and other supernatural creatures. Keeping it safe from people was no more a concern for her than for other people.

The person Kristine had contacted the day before to beef up the security was someone John trusted. In fact, he had originally introduced them a few years before. John figured that Gordon would either follow them to the estate or assume that's where they would go. Either way, it wouldn't be long before he made an appearance.

"Good morning," Bobby said when he joined John in the kitchen. "Working on any other devious plans?"

"Why don't you just make a formal announcement, Bobby?" John grumbled as the older man poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Sam is still upstairs and I don't see Dean or Kristine here."

John grunted as Bobby sat down across from him. The house had a formal dining room, but they were in the breakfast nook connected to the kitchen. The windows overlooked part of a professionally maintained garden.

"I heard Kristine leave early this morning. Dean's probably with her."

"She wasn't looking so good."

John nodded an agreement and rubbed his face. "I don't know what's going on."

"You're kidding."

"Even I don't know everything, Bobby." John finished his coffee. "Thanks for your help with this."

"No problem. Those jobs needed to be done and I always like spending time with the boys. I still don't know how you found out that Gordon was after Sam."

"There was talk at the Roadhouse."

"So, Ellen does know what's going on?"

"Ellen knows some of it."

Bobby nodded. "You think it's a good idea for Kristine and Dean to be off by themselves?"

"They'll be okay."

"You know I still don't like the secrecy."

"I know."

"They're adults."

"I know."

"They'll be pissed if they find out you've orchestrated a lot of this."

"I know."

Bobby sighed and took a long sip of coffee. He and John looked at each other when the doorbell rang.

---

"Can I help you?" Bobby asked when he opened the door.

"My name is Dave Elliot. I need to see John Winchester."

"Why?"

"I – I have to talk to him about Gordon."

"Let him in, Bobby," John said, standing off to the side and out of sight of the door.

A few minutes later, Dave, Bobby and John were sitting in the living room. Sam walked in and brief introductions were made.

"How do you know Gordon?" John asked.

"He recruited me to work with him. He's after Sam." Dave cast a glance at the youngest Winchester. "He convinced me that Sam had a connection to demons and….I've only been doing this for a couple of years. The man who was training me was killed recently and I guess I thought Gordon could help me. I didn't know…."

"Didn't know what?"

"I didn't know he'd escaped from prison. I didn't know he had a personal vendetta against Sam. I –" he looked to Sam again. "I'm sorry."

"How did you find out?" John asked.

Dave told him about the conversation he'd had with Jeffrey and about their fear that he'd killed Allen.

"Do you know what his plan is?"

Dave shook his head. "None of what he's doing makes sense. We had the perfect opportunity to get Sam before you all met up and Gordon didn't want to do it. It's like he wanted to make this as hard as possible."

John looked at his son over Dave's shoulder. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was blank.

"Bobby, how about you take Dave here into the kitchen and get him some coffee?" John suggested.

"Sure. I'll make some breakfast, too."

Once they were alone, John looked back to his son. "You okay?"

"I honestly don't know."

"This isn't your fault."

"I know."

"You did what you had to do."

Sam pushed away from the wall. "I should have just killed him."

John was shocked into silence and Sam left the room. He didn't even acknowledge Dean as he walked into the front door.

"Sam?"

John joined his older son in the foyer.

"What happened?" Dean asked.

John gave him short recap of what had gone on so far that morning.

"He said he should have killed Gordon?" Dean asked, sounding as shocked as John had felt.

His father nodded.

"I'll go talk to him." He glanced at Kristine and she nodded. A moment later, she went into the kitchen with John as Dean climbed the stairs.

---

"Sammy?" Dean slipped into the room they'd been sharing and found his brother lying on his unmade bed. His hands were clasped behind his head and he was staring at the ceiling. His expression was clouded with anger.

Dean sat on his own bed and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "Dad told me what you said."

"Yeah?" Sam's voice was quiet.

"What's up with that, Sam? You think you should have just killed Gordon?"

"He wouldn't be after me now. He wouldn't be recruiting young hunters who don't know any better. You and Dad wouldn't be in danger – Bobby –"

"Don't do this, man."

"Don't do what?"

"Don't blame yourself for things that aren't your fault. This is all Gordon."

"Yeah. And if I'd killed him – when you wanted me to – this wouldn't be happening."

"Sam, that isn't you."

"Dean," Sam sighed and sat up. "I spent my whole life with something after me. I thought it was over….If I'd just killed him or let you do it…."

Dean looked at his brother. He saw the pain on his face and he hated it. Sam was right. They'd lived under a dark cloud for a long time and even though they were still hunting, it wasn't like before. They weren't trying to find the thing that killed their mother and they didn't have that huge weight on their shoulders anymore. Sam had begun to feel free; Dean knew not just because they'd talked about it, but because he could see it. At least he could until their father's phone call the day before.

"Sam, this isn't like before. Gordon's no demon; he's just a really sick fuck. And we'll deal with him."

Sam glared at his brother. He wasn't angry with Dean and they both knew it. "I'm going to kill him this time, Dean."

Before Dean could say anything, Sam left the room. He heard the bathroom door close and Dean rubbed his face nervously.

oooOOOooo

"Is your brother okay?" John asked when Dean came into the kitchen nearly an hour later.

Bobby had made breakfast and other than the plate he'd left for Sam and Dean, everything had already been cleaned up.

"No."

John looked up from the newspaper. That wasn't the answer he'd been expecting; Dean was always able to handle Sam. "What?"

"He's not okay. Where is everyone?"

"Bobby is checking the protection symbols around the house. Kristine is helping Dave get settled in."

"He's staying?"

"Probably not for long, but he's exhausted. Now, talk to me about Sammy."

Dean pretended to be interested in his food and moved the eggs around the plate for a moment, but gave up and dropped the silverware onto the table. "He's right back where he was a few years ago. Dad, he's been doing so good, ya know? Since the demon….he _enjoys_ hunting again and isn't always looking for something else. He's been happy with what he has – not settling, but really happy. Now? It's like the last couple of years never even happened."

"What about after we deal with Gordon?"

"He says he's going to kill Gordon."

"Is that what he needs to do to be okay?"

"Dad…."

"I'm not saying he should go out and kill some innocent person. I'm asking if he needs to kill Gordon, the man who tried to kill him – and you – just because Sam had visions. What do you think the end result of this is going to be? Gordon skips on back to prison?"

"No, but –"

"But what? You figured you'd be the one to pull the trigger?"

Dean didn't answer.

"Dean?" John's tone wasn't accusatory. He knew the answer. "You might have to let him have this one, Dean."

John saw the tears spring into his son's eyes. He wanted to reach out to him, but instead he waited for Dean to compose himself.

"He – he can kill supernatural monsters, ya know? That's okay. He can kill evil things because that's what we do to protect other people. But even then…." Dean pushed the plate away angrily.

"Even then," John put his hand on Dean's wrist. "It's you who pulls the trigger most of the time."

"I always wanted Sam to stay innocent, ya know? I never wanted this stuff to touch him – even before you told me….It wasn't supposed to hurt Sammy. None of it was. I don't want him to get hard, Dad. I want him to keep that irritating sunny outlook he has. He thinks people are inherently good. Even Gordon….he called the cops instead of wasting him last time. I –"

Dean tried to pull away, but John held him tighter.

"You've always been a good brother, Dean, a good protector. Hell, you've been a better father to Sammy than I have and you know him better than I ever will. But there's one thing I do know. Sometimes, you have to let him fight his own battles."

---

Sam stood just outside of the kitchen, listening to his father and brother. He closed his eyes for a moment; he'd had no idea how Dean felt. It seemed like no matter how close they got, there were always things about his brother that surprised him. He idly wondered if it was because he didn't pay enough attention or if Dean was really that good at keeping things from him.

He took a few steps backwards and coughed before going into the kitchen.

"Hey," he said, pretending he hadn't heard anything.

"Hey," John smiled at him as Dean picked up the fork and began to eat.

"Are we going to work on a plan?" Sam asked as he sat at the table with a cup of coffee.

"Bobby left a plate in the oven for you," John told him.

"I'm not hungry. Dad, how are we going to find Gordon?"

"If I'm right, we won't have to. He'll come here. I want to show you something." John stood up and led the way to the attached garage.

Set up on a work bench that was situated against the far wall were four computers. John explained that Nick Shaw, the security expert that Kristine had called the day before set everything up. While there were some surveillance cameras pointed at the entrances to the house now, most of what he had established was pointed toward the property perimeter. There were a few cameras, but most of the new toys were designed to find invaders in other ways.

John gave them a basic summary of what had been installed and what the computer monitors were showing, but his understanding was limited.

"Nick will be here soon to go over all of it," John said.

Sam looked closely at everything. "Dad, why didn't you tell us about this stuff before?"

"We got here late last night and everyone was exhausted. This morning, Dave showed up unexpectedly. I haven't been hiding it from you intentionally; we just hadn't had a chance to talk about it yet."

As they walked back into the kitchen, there was a change on one of the monitors. A moment later, John's cell phone rang.

oooOOOoo

"Dean," John said as he got off the phone. "Find Kristine; make sure she and Dave are in the house."

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"That was Nick. He's monitoring things remotely and he said one of his toys picked up something that could be Gordon. Someone is out there; southeast to the house."

That was all Dean needed to hear before he went off to find Kristine.

"Sammy –"

"Weapons, got it." Sam read his father's mind and left the kitchen.

John was about to call Bobby's cell phone when the man came in through the back door. He must have interpreted John's expression correctly as he immediately shifted into hunter mode.

"I can't find Kristine or Dave," Dean said when he rushed back into the kitchen several minutes later. "She's not answering her cell. There's no land line at the cottage; I'm going over there."

"Hold on," Sam said as he came into the room with a large canvas bag. "I'll go with you."

"That's a good idea," John agreed as Sam hefted the bag onto the table.

A moment later, they each had their weapon of choice and at least one back-up. Sam and Dean were headed out of the door when Dean's cell phone rang. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Kristine's name on the called ID display.

---

"Kristine –"

"Try again, Romeo."

"Gordon."

"Ah! Congratulations."

"Where's Kristine?"

"With me."

"And you're –"

"Somewhere you won't find me."

"I swear to God, Gordon, if you hurt her –"

"That's pretty funny, Dean. You, swearing to God. Do you even believe in God?"

"I want to talk to her."

"Not now. You'll be hearing from me."

Dean growled when he heard the call end. "Son of a bitch!"

"Gordon has Kristine?" Sam asked.

"Can we find out where he is with those machines in the garage?" Dean asked, looking at his father.

"Only if he's on the estate," John said as he dialed Nick's number and headed out to the garage. The others followed.

oooOOOooo

Kristine sat in the large wooden chair, her wrists and legs tied to it securely. She glared at Dave as he stood across the room, a rifle balanced in his arms that were crossed over his chest. Even though she'd been blindfolded as Dave navigated to their destination, she recognized where they were. It was an abandoned warehouse at the north end of town. The building had recently been purchased by the county and was on schedule to be demolished to make way for a new elementary school.

"Dave, why are you messed up with someone like Gordon?" she struggled to keep her tone even despite the headache and nausea that was no doubt caused by whatever Dave had used to knock her out.

He said nothing and looked away from her.

"He's not a good guy, Dave. He's dangerous."

Still no response.

"Dave, listen to me. Gordon tried to kill Sam and Dean a few years ago. That's why he was in prison. He doesn't distinguish between good and evil; he just kills what he wants to."

"Oh, now that will be quite enough," Gordon said as he came into the room. He'd been happy to introduce himself when Dave brought her to him half an hour earlier. "I talked to Dean and told him you'd be spending some time with me."

Kristine stared at him.

Gordon smiled at her. "I know what you're thinking. You figure the great Winchesters will find you. Maybe they will. In fact, I'm counting on it."

"Tell me you're not going to set up some lame booby trap like you did the last time," she said, her tone condescending.

Gordon's smile faded.

"They told me about it."

"Yeah, well, you don't need to worry about what I'm going to do."

Kristine didn't miss the change in his body language and tone and her therapist instincts were warning her that he was extremely volatile.

oooOOOooo

Nick Shaw was just getting to the estate as he led John through the preliminary steps to analyze the data his machines were recording. It wasn't long before he was walking into the garage; the Winchesters and Bobby were watching the video from the camera poised to watch the French doors that led out of the library and into the garden. Kristine had been blindfolded and appeared drugged.

Sam stood next to his brother and could feel the anger roll off of him in waves. He saw Dean clench and unclench his hands and noticed that his shoulders were straight and tense. He moved half a step closer so that their arms were touching and Dean glanced at him, but didn't move away.

"Well, there's no one on the estate from what I can tell," Nick said. "If that was Gordon out there, he's gone. Obviously that Dave guy took Kristine and I can tell he went north when he left the estate, but that's as far as the equipment can see."

"Gordon wants us to find him," John mused. "He's not going to be hiding anywhere too hard to figure out."

"If he headed north, then he went through town. There aren't any other roads until you hit town limits," Dean mused, his tone barely contained. "Gordon isn't going to hide there…."

"So, let's assume Dave continued through town," John took up Dean's line of reasoning. "Still most likely he continued north; not a lot of choice for a few miles anyway. Hey, is that warehouse still on the edge of town?"

Nick looked up from the computer monitor. "I passed it on my way here. There's a fence around it and some kind of construction company signs, but I didn't look that close."

"The building is still there?"

Nick nodded.

"Makes sense," Sam agreed.

John began to pace. "If he made it _that_ easy, he probably set something up."

"Like last time," Sam said gravely. "The place where he was holding Dean was booby trapped."

---

It was already late afternoon and the darkness of night would be upon them soon. Even though Gordon would be expecting them, it made sense to wait until nightfall when fewer people would be out and about. John and Bobby made a quick trip to the warehouse to verify that was, indeed, where Gordon was holding Kristine. Of course, Dean had wanted to go, but John was afraid he wouldn't be able to leave once he was there and they had things to do before they confronted Gordon.

They went about making preparations. Weapons were checked and rechecked, plans made and discarded in favor of something else. Nerves were calmed only to get tense again.

Sam's anger and guilt over not killing Gordon when he had the chance, and not letting Dean do it either, were still there, but Sam's concern for his brother overshadowed those feelings. He knew how Dean felt about Kristine and he knew that his brother was exercising great control by not just rushing the warehouse.

Sam couldn't see how Dean wouldn't be blaming him for their current situation and he was almost afraid to talk to his brother. He avoided looking at him as he was sure he would see anger in his brother's eyes; anger directed at him. Sam also tried to avoid thinking about what Kristine might be going through.

He didn't know a lot about her hospitalization, but he knew some. He'd gone to California to attend Rebecca's Stanford graduation and exorcise some of his own demons while Dean meandered toward North Carolina. Sam knew that Kristine been hurting herself and had taken the initiative to find help after Dean arrived, but that was about everything his brother had told him. He knew there was more to it, but that was just instinct talking.

Sam remembered when Patrick, Kristine's late brother-in-law, had been possessed and kidnapped her. She's been tortured and hung from hooks in a motel room; left for dead. He didn't want to think about how a second kidnapping would be affecting her, but he guessed that was all Dean could think about.

His brother was sitting on the couch, cleaning a gun he'd already cleaned. Sam watched him for a few minutes, then forced himself to sit down next to him. Dean had called Kristine's cell phone more than once, but it went directly to voice mail. There had been no more contact with Gordon.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

"No."

Sam wasn't prepared for such an honest answer and wasn't sure what to say. "Dean…."

"Don't worry, I'll be able to handle myself."

"I know you will. You know, Dean, there's no reason for Gordon to hurt her. He wants us."

"No reason except he's a sadistic motherfucker. I swear, Sammy, one hair on her head…."

"I know, man. I feel the same way."

"And I'm going to waste that little shit, Dave, too."

Sam's response was interrupted by the doorbell. The brothers exchanged a look before heading to the front entry. Their father and Bobby were already there, weapons at the ready.

Nick opened the door and the woman on the porch gasped when she saw the guns pointed at her.

"Wow. Nothing subtle about you Winchesters."

"Lenore?" Sam began. "What are you doing here?"

Lenore was a vampire the brothers had met in Red Lodge, Montana the first time they encountered Gordon. She led a group that had vowed not to drink human blood and sustained themselves with cattle. Gordon had been after her clan and Sam helped her and the survivors escape while Dean kept Gordon occupied.

---

"Word travels among vampires," Lenore explained once introductions were made and they were settled in the living room. "I heard that Gordon was out of jail and after you. I want to help. I've got others with me."

"We can use the help," John said. "You did a great job of getting past the electronic surveillance out there."

She shrugged. "I'm a vampire. We don't tend to show up on such things."

"Good point," John agreed. "Okay, let's do a quick readjustment of the plan and get to it."

oooOOOooo

Kristine tried to control the shaking, but in addition to her fear, she'd missed two doses of medication. She hated being so dependant on it, but there were worse things, she supposed. Like the darkness she'd found herself in and the numbness that drove her to find increasingly violent ways to experience any kind of feeling.

She'd tried to loosen the bonds that tied her; she didn't think she'd really be able to escape, but she had to try. The rope was too tight and Dave was keeping too good an eye on her. Gordon was in and out of the room, which had been an office when the warehouse was occupied. She didn't know where he went when he left; she didn't hear a car and assumed he was checking out the rest of the building.

Kristine gave up trying to talk to Dave. It had become obvious that he wouldn't respond to her and, after a while, she didn't trust herself to speak. She was afraid, she was tired, and she needed her medication. Her thoughts kept flashing back to the motel room she'd been left in by a possessed Patrick. The injuries had long-since healed and there were only minor physical scars, but the emotional ones were intense. Some things would never completely disappear.

---

"Well, well, well," Gordon began as he came back into the room. Kristine could smell the hamburger he'd recently eaten and her stomach growled. "Looks like your boyfriend doesn't think you're so important. I would have expected him to have made an appearance already."

Kristine knew what Gordon was trying to do and she wasn't going to let him. He wanted to undermine what little confidence she already felt and he would do or say anything to get to her. Kristine knew she hadn't been forgotten; she also knew the best time to strike would be after dark and she could tell from the window high in the room that the sun was setting.

She looked toward Gordon, hoping she was managing a glare. He only glanced at her.

"You're probably getting pretty stiff sitting in that chair. And I know you're hungry. Well, this should all be over soon and none of that will matter," Gordon walked around the room, staying close to the wall. "Dave, why don't you leave us alone for a few minutes? There's food in the other room."

Dave nodded and walked out of the room. Kristine tensed as Gordon approached her.

"You know, you should never bring the police in on hunter business. They don't understand our ways. Sammy did the wrong thing with that."

Kristine turned her eyes to look at Gordon as he began walking around her in a small circle.

"I didn't like prison. I didn't like it at all." His voice took on a far away tone. "Things happen in prison that are worse than any hunt."

Standing behind her, Gordon breathed into Kristine's ear. She tried not to react.

"What about that hospital you were in? Bad things happen there?" he asked.

She stiffened.

"Oh yeah, I know about that. You still like to hurt yourself?"

Kristine closed her eyes.

"You still like the rough stuff?"

She didn't respond.

Gordon laughed and then walked across the room.

_tbc_


	4. Chapter 4

**The Song Remains The Same**

**Chapter 4**

oooOOOooo

**Disclaimer**: See chapter 1

**A/N:** Quite a bit happens in this installment. After this, there's only one baby chapter to wrap everything up. Thanks to everyone who is making the foray into the alternate universe with me!

oooOOOooo

_He who seeks vengeance must dig two graves: one for his enemy and one for himself_

_Chinese Proverb_

oooOOOooo

Lenore left first so that she could gather the vampires and the others followed a few minutes later. Everyone was tense; conversation was limited. Theirs was a pretty simple plan. Get to the warehouse, do some reconnaissance and then move in.

They parked on the side of the road, just past the warehouse; Lenore and the other vampires were waiting for them in the near darkness. The sun hadn't set completely yet, but the vampires had taken the necessary precautions and the sun would be completely gone in a matter of moments.

"We've located Gordon in a small room near the front of the warehouse," Lenore said. "There's only one way in and it's through the warehouse. There's a door on the outside, but it's been boarded up. I'm not sure how quickly or quietly we could remove the boards."

John nodded. "How many people?"

"It looks like just him and some kid."

"And Kristine?" Dean asked.

Lenore looked at him sympathetically. "She's tied to a chair in the middle of the room. She doesn't appear to be injured."

Dean only nodded.

"I suggest you let us go in first," Lenore continued. "We'll secure the room and then…."

"Wait –" John began.

"They're prepared for hunters, not for vampires. They can shoot us all they want and it won't matter. Besides, there are a lot more of us than there are of them. We'll go in, swarm, and secure it for you. We'll leave Gordon and the other one for you to deal with."

"Dad, Kristine has been in there more than long enough. Let Lenore and the others go in."

John looked at his son and nodded. He turned back to Lenore. "Do it."

---

Kristine watched Gordon from the corner of her eye as he started pacing around the room again. She had no idea how much time had passed, but she desperately wished something – anything – would happen. She almost hoped that Gordon would hit her hard enough to make her pass out. Her head hurt and she was dizzy; her arms and legs felt numb, which could have been caused by being tied to the chair or an effect of not having taken her medication.

Kristine could hear her captor speaking, but she couldn't make out the words because of the pounding in her head. It was becoming increasingly hard to concentrate on anything except the pain, physical as well as emotional. For a while, she had been able to rationalize the way she was feeling. She knew everything there was to know about the pills she had been prescribed and she knew what physical reactions there would be if doses were missed. Her therapist skills and knowledge sustained her until everything else began to overwhelm her.

She tried to concentrate on something, anything, positive but everything she thought about was just the opposite. Soon, she believed that she deserved this treatment and what little bit of desire she had to fight and survive was quickly disappearing.

Irrational thoughts filled her head as bits and pieces of what Gordon was saying penetrated her consciousness; she became convinced that the Winchesters, especially Dean, had forgotten about her. She wasn't important and was a burden to those who knew her. It was she who should have died at the hands of the demon and not her sister. She couldn't help herself so how could she expect to help patients; especially hunters?

Underneath the rope that held her to the chair, Kristine wore a bracelet. It was just a simple black cord with a small protection symbol at the clasp. Dean had given it to her a few years before and she hadn't taken it off in all that time. She couldn't see the bracelet through the rope, but she could feel the clasp against her skin. She tried to focus on that to keep her thoughts rational.

---

Kristine didn't see Gordon's expression as he continued to berate her. He had a look of calm satisfaction on his face and the hint of a smile.

He didn't have anything against Kristine; he'd never even met her before today. But she was a friend of the Winchesters and he had to find some way to pass the time until they showed up. Despite what he'd been saying to Kristine, he knew that they would come for her. As soon as the sun had gone down, they would come with guns blazing. He was prepared for that. He was counting on it.

What he'd said to Kristine about prison was true. He'd gone in with a bad attitude and thought his hunter's skills would be enough to sustain him, but he quickly got on the wrong side of a particularly nasty gang of inmates. He was mercilessly attacked on more than one occasion; in ways that he still sometimes couldn't think about. The beatings had been bad enough, but the other things done to him….Maybe if he had capitulated to the gang members and done what they wanted him to do – maybe that would have saved him. Finally, he was put into solitary confinement, but being alone with his thoughts was even worse.

He'd had plenty of time to plan his attack against Sam. He'd had plenty of time for his anger at the boy to grow into a pure hatred of his entire family. Gordon had no particular reason to want John dead, other than he was the father of the little bastard that was responsible for him going to prison. But he knew that anything he did to Sam would incur the wrath of his family, so it was better to take care of all of them at once.

oooOOOooo

"Sam," Dean began as the vampires silently made their way to the warehouse with Bobby and their father following. John looked questioningly at his sons, but Dean's short nod was all he needed to continue forward.

"Dean, what?" Sam looked toward the group moving ahead without them.

"Look, I, uh –"

"Dean?" Sam's face was filled with concern.

"I don't want you to do anything you're going to regret, okay? I want to get Kristine out of there, but I don't want you to –"

"I can handle it." Sam's face clouded.

"I know you can. I just don't know if I want you to."

"You need to take care of Kristine. We'll handle the rest. Now come on, we need to catch up."

Dean watched as his brother trudged off after the rest of the group. For a moment, he saw Sam as a little boy again. He shook off the image and moved forward.

---

The office was situated in a corner of the large first floor room and they could see Dave sitting at a makeshift table munching on what appeared to be a burger and fries. He should have been watching out for the Winchesters, but he clearly wasn't and it only took one of the vampires to subdue him. The others quietly gathered outside the office door.

Despite the experience the Winchesters and Bobby now had with vampires, the speed of the attack surprised them. As expected, Gordon was only prepared for a human attack and his face showed clear surprise when he saw Lenore and her crew rush into the room.

He was standing near Kristine when the attack began and he tried to position himself behind his prisoner to use her as a shield. Fangs bared, Lenore was too fast for him and she had him backed into the far wall in the blink of an eye. He had killed many of her friends just because they were vampires; they hadn't attacked any humans and the kills were unnecessary. The anger over that, and the torture she'd suffered at his hand, burned through her and it was all she could do to contain herself. She promised that he'd be left for the Winchesters to deal with and she intended to honor that agreement.

Dean barely made sure the room was secure before he was at Kristine's side. Her head was down, but her hair was too short to cover her face and he saw the vacant look in her open eyes.

"Kristine?" he knelt down next to her and touched her arm gently. "It's me. It's Dean. You're safe now, okay? I'm going to untie you and take you home."

"Dean?" John called. "She okay?"

"She will be."

"We've got this," John told him. "Take her out of here."

Dean pulled a small knife from his pocket and cut away the rope from Kristine's wrists and ankles. He pulled her to her feet and she leaned against him heavily, but walked on her own. As they passed Sam, Dean made eye contact with his brother and a message passed between them, a message he hoped his brother understood.

"Go with them, Bobby."

The older hunter wanted to protest, but the look on John's face changed his mind. He followed Dean and Kristine back out into the warehouse. After they walked by, the vampire holding Dave pushed him into the office.

---

John stood close to Gordon, staring at him, as Lenore held him securely. At first, it didn't appear that Gordon would turn away, but he blinked and his eyes shifted to the floor.

"You've proven that a maximum security prison won't hold you," John said. "And you've also proven that you're not as smart as you think you are. What are we supposed to do with you now?"

Gordon didn't respond.

"We could let the police deal with you, but that didn't work out very well before," John paced in front of him. "Or we could let the vampires take care of you."

Gordon flinched when Lenore hissed into his ear. A moment later he looked at John, his expression dangerous.

"So, what are you going to do?" Gordon sneered.

John felt Sam move to a position behind him.

"What did you do to Kristine?" Sam demanded.

Gordon only grinned.

"Bastard," Sam muttered.

"Sam," John warned, glancing over his shoulder.

"We're not going to just let him go," Sam said. "And I'm not making the same mistake again."

"Sam."

"Yeah, Sammy, listen to your daddy."

Sam scowled and aimed his gun at Gordon's head.

"That's an awfully big gun," Gordon teased. "Your daddy know you're playing with guns?"

"Shut up," Sam said, his voice low.

Gordon laughed.

"Knock it off," Lenore hissed again and pushed him toward the chair. "Sit down."

She tied him up using the same rope that had held Kristine as another chair was pulled across the room in which to secure Dave. Lenore turned to John. 'You good here?"

"Yeah, thanks."

She glanced at Sam on her way out the door; the other vampires followed her.

"Sam, you should go, too," John said.

"I don't think so."

John sighed to himself, remembering the advice he'd given Dean. He glanced at his son, then gestured across the room. Sam followed him.

"Dad, we don't have a choice here."

"Don't we?"

Sam looked at him, confusion clear on his face.

"There's always a choice, Son. I'm going to step outside; I won't stop you."

Sam watched as his father walked out of the room, then turned back to Gordon.

"Whacha gonna do, Sammy?"

"It's Sam."

"Of course it is." Gordon spat. "Sammy."

"Did you hurt Kristine?" Sam asked, leveling the gun at Gordon again.

"You saw her. She look hurt to you?"

"Why did you take her?"

"To get you here. I don't have a beef with her. 'Course if you hadn't gotten here when you did…."

Sam glared at him. "If we hadn't gotten here what?"

Gordon grinned.

Seemingly without thinking, Sam aimed at Gordon's knee and fired.

---

John heard the gunshot and grimaced. He heard the second one and leaned back against the wall, his eyes closed for a moment, looking toward the door when he heard it opening. Sam walked out, his skin ashen and his expression neutral.

"Sam?"

"Call the police," he slipped his gun into the waistband of his jeans and walked past his father.

John looked into the office and saw Gordon, slumped in the chair; both kneecaps appeared to be destroyed. He pulled out his cell phone and called the county sheriff, knowing he could be trusted.

oooOOOooo

Dean led Kristine into the cottage and settled her on the couch. She still hadn't spoken, but her skin color looked better and there was a look of comprehension coming back into her eyes. He sat down next to her and she leaned against him, holding the edge of his jacket tightly.

Bobby hadn't gone with them, as John instructed. He'd made sure that Dean was able to get Kristine to the Impala all right, then double-backed to the warehouse.

"You're home; it's over," Dean said softly. "You need to take your medication. I'll get it for you."

Dean started to stand, but Kristine held on to his jacket. He put his arm around her shoulders. "It's okay. I'm right here. Can you talk to me?"

He felt her shift against him.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty? You must be thirsty."

She nodded against his chest.

"I'll get you some water, but you have to let go of my coat first." He brushed her hair with a light kiss.

"I like your coat," she said quietly.

"I could leave it here while I go into the kitchen," he said, sensing that she was trying to make a joke.

Kristine pulled away from Dean and pulled the afghan from the back of the couch. "Can you turn up the heat?"

"You got it," Dean helped her lay the blanket over her shoulders.

Kristine watched Dean as he walked out of the living room. She'd barely been able to move away from the comfort of his arms and it was even harder to make herself speak. She wanted to be okay; she _needed_ to be okay. She knew she would need to call her doctor soon and she knew that, and everything else, would be easier if she took one of the missed pills. She looked down at the bracelet on her wrist.

Before she managed the strength necessary to stand up, Dean was back with water and a medicine bottle.

"Thanks," she avoided his eyes as she took the bottle from him.

"I turned up the heat and put some coffee on. I could make hot chocolate or –"

She swallowed one of the pills and shook her head. "Don't try so hard."

He sat down next to her. "You want to talk about it?"

"What are they doing to him? Who were all those other people?" Kristine curled up on the couch and closed her eyes. Her head still hurt, but she was trying to ignore that and all of the other symptoms.

"Vampires."

"Jesus Christ," Kristine breathed, rubbing her forehead.

"Remember Lenore? I told you about her."

"Yeah. So? What are they doing to him?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I know what Sam said he wanted to do, but…."

"You shouldn't have left him."

"Dad's there. He can handle whatever happens. Besides, you needed me."

"Don't do that." She opened her eyes.

"What?"

"Don't put me ahead of your family."

"What? No, I –"

A sudden flash of pain through the middle of her head caused Kristine to grimace and a moan escaped her lips.

"You okay?"

"Headache; not sure if it's from not eating all day or side effect of missing the meds."

"I'll make you something to eat."

She reached for his coat again, almost from instinct than a conscious movement. "No. Thanks, but I don't think I could hold anything down right now."

Dean moved to the floor in front of the couch and she rested her hand on his shoulder. A few minutes later, Kristine was asleep.

oooOOOooo

John found Sam sitting on an old picnic bench just outside the warehouse. Bobby was with him.

"I thought you left with Dean and Kristine."

"He took her back to the cottage."

John nodded. "The sheriff will be here soon. An ambulance, too."

"What did you tell him?" Bobby asked.

John glanced at his son. Sam was staring at the ground.

"Mostly the truth. He's on our side. I didn't tell him quite everything and he knew better than to ask."

"Is Gordon still alive?"

"He seemed to be a couple minutes ago when I left him. I got some information from Dave. We can talk about it later, when we're all together. We should go before the officials get here."

Bobby headed off toward the vehicles. John laid a hand on his son's shoulder and Sam stood up to follow their friend. He and John walked close together, much like Sam and Dean normally did. John put his arm around Sam's shoulders, expecting him to pull away, but he didn't.

"We'll have to talk about this, Sam," John said as they reached the truck.

"I'll meet you back at the main house," Bobby called as he got into his own truck.

John waved at him.

"There's nothing to talk about, Dad. I couldn't just kill him in cold blood, no matter what he did. If we're lucky, the wounds will get infected."

John looked at Sam, then closed the passenger side door. He worried as he walked around the truck to the driver's side and climbed in. Sam stared straight ahead as John drove back to the estate.

---

Bobby had put coffee on, but wasn't in the kitchen when John and Sam arrived back at the estate house. Sam went straight to the bedroom he'd slept in the night before and John leaned against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest. After a moment, John reached for his cell phone and called Dean's number.

Dean's voice was hushed when he answered. "Hey, Dad. Everything okay?"

"We're back at the main house. Is Kristine all right?"

"She's sleeping; I think she'll be okay. What happened?"

"Sam shot Gordon; looks like he might have destroyed both of his knees. He didn't touch Dave. I called the sheriff and he's going to handle everything."

"Is Sam okay?"

"He went upstairs; he won't talk to me."

John heard Dean sigh.

"Don't worry. You just stay there with Kristine. Sammy will be fine."

"I should have just brought Kristine back there," Dean mused.

"She's more comfortable in her own place. Don't worry, Dean," John said again, knowing it was second nature for Dean to worry about his brother.

"Yeah. I'll talk to you soon."

---

Sam was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the pattern on the rug when his cell phone rang. He knew who it was without even looking at the caller ID display. He put the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Dean. You at the cottage?"

"Yeah. I just talked to Dad and he told me what happened. You okay?"

"I did what I thought was best."

"I know you did."

"I couldn't kill him; not with him just sitting there. Is Kristine all right?"

"She will be; she's sleeping now. Hey, why don't you come over here? The refrigerator is empty and I could use a beer and something to eat."

"What am I, a delivery service?" Sam joked.

"Delivery service, little brother. It's all the same."

"Very funny," Sam tried to let his mood lighten. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

---

The brothers settled on the back deck with the beer and leftover chicken Sam brought from the main house. Sam knew that Dean could have made due with whatever was in the kitchen and his real reason for asking him to bring food was for Sam's benefit. He wasn't sure he minded; it was always easier to talk to Dean than it was their father.

At first they were quiet, nursing their drinks. Dean devoured a couple pieces of the chicken while Sam only picked at his.

"Dad said he'd call when he heard back from the sheriff," Sam said.

"It's a good thing he's friendly to hunters."

"I guess he'd have to be with Kristine in his county."

Dean smiled his agreement and they slipped back into silence.

"Sam?" Dean began a few minutes later.

"I'm sorry," Sam said, staring into space.

Dean looked at him, confusion apparent on his face. "What for?"

"I couldn't do it."

"Sam…."

"You'd have been able to do it."

"Don't do that," Dean said gently. "It doesn't matter what I could or couldn't have done. And you don't know that I would have shot him while he was tied to a chair. Besides, Dad said it looked like his legs are in pretty bad shape."

"I heard you and Dad talking."

"When?"

"You were talking about me killing Gordon; why you didn't want me to do it," Sam looked at his brother. "I'm not innocent. I haven't been innocent for a long time. You don't have to protect me anymore."

"Sam…."

"But I appreciate you wanting to try." Sam smiled at his brother.

oooOOOooo

The county sheriff claimed that his office had been alerted to Gordon and Dave's presence in the warehouse by an anonymous tip. Gordon was in no condition to speak when the federal officials called in by Sheriff Morgan arrived and Dave's story was completely discounted when he started talking about vampires.

Once at the hospital, it didn't take long for the hospital emergency room to determine that Gordon would need surgery. Sheriff Morgan and the federal agents waited for news of his condition and Dave was put in a room in the psychiatry ward.

It was nearly 10:00pm when Morgan arrived at the estate house. He had called John's cell phone and was assured they were awake and waiting for information.

"Where's Kristine?" Morgan asked as he settled in the living room and looked around.

"She's at the cottage with Dean," John explained.

"And you're sure she doesn't need medical attention?"

"She wasn't hurt; she just needs some rest."

Morgan nodded. "I'll check on her tomorrow. Anyway, I just left the hospital. Gordon was in surgery for about four hours. The surgeon was able to save one of his legs, though there's no guarantee yet. The other one has been amputated."

John glanced at Sam, whose expression was neutral.

"The feds are here since Gordon is an escaped felon. They're going to take him back to prison as soon as he's able to travel. They're not going to look too hard for who did this to him and his little buddy didn't help matters by spouting off about vampires. He's in the psych ward at the hospital for observation."

"So, are we involved?" John asked and Morgan shook his head.

"As far as the feds know, you're not here. Of course, Gordon might talk when he's able and he could corroborate Dave's story."

"I've thought about that," John agreed. "I've been working on a plan b."

Morgan held up his hand. "I'm gonna need plausible deniability here."

John nodded and smiled.

"So, the doctors think Gordon will be able to travel in several days. Until then, the feds have set up pretty extreme security. It's not everyone who manages to escape from a maximum security prison."

"Is it just the two of them working alone?"

"It wasn't in the beginning, but Dave assured me that everyone else backed out."

"And you believe him?"

"He was…motivated to tell the truth."

Morgan nodded at John. "Okay, then. Any other hunters staying here now?"

"No, just us."

"Might not want to stick around too long and I'd stay out of town if I were you."

"Good plan," John agreed.

The sheriff finished the coffee he'd been given when he arrived, then stood up. "Well, I'll leave you alone, then. I'll come by tomorrow and check on Kristine or I might make my way over to the cottage and if the lights are on…"

John led him to the door. He knew that it wasn't that Morgan didn't trust them. The sheriff cared for everyone in his county, but he had watched Kristine grow up and knew the truth about her family and what kind of establishment she ran at the estate. John wasn't about to tell the man he couldn't check on Kristine, even though he knew Dean would be taking good care of her.

As he stood on the porch and watched Morgan head to his car, John crossed his arms over his chest. He heard the door open behind him.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, Sam?" John didn't turn around.

"I – uh – I just wanted to ask you…."

John turned around to face his son. Whatever Dean had said to him earlier definitely helped Sam's mood. John couldn't miss the more relaxed look on his face, but he also saw that his eyes still appeared troubled.

"Ask me what, Sammy?" John asked, hoping his voice portrayed the affection he felt.

"About earlier. At the warehouse…."

"How do you feel about what happened?"

John saw the surprise on Sam's face. "I – I did what I thought was best. Killing him – it would have been murder."

John nodded. He put an arm around his son's shoulders. "If I had disagreed with your decision, Gordon wouldn't have needed an ambulance."

He felt Sam relax. "Thanks, Dad."

John felt there was something more he should say, but the look on his son's face told him he was satisfied, so he left it at that.

---

Kristine's eyes opened and she listened to the room around here. It was completely dark and the only sound she heard was the low hum of the refrigerator. She remembered curling up on the couch and knew that's where she still was. She didn't think Dean would have left her alone so he was somewhere in the cottage.

She shifted carefully, afraid the pain in her head would return. When it didn't, she sat up slowly.

Still on the couch, she let her eyes adjust to the darkness and looked around. She saw a silhouette, Dean, in a chair across the room. His head was resting against the side of the old wingback. Now that she knew he was there, she could hear his even breathing and she knew he was asleep.

Kristine went into the bathroom to clean up and then to her bedroom for fresh clothes. Dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt, she went back downstairs and found that Dean had turned on one of the lamps in the living room, keeping the room dim. She heard him in the kitchen.

"Hey," she stood just inside the room.

"Hey," he turned from the stove where he was watching the kettle he'd just filled with water.

"You know watched pot never boils."

"I've heard that," Dean said. "Does it apply to kettles?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

She watched as Dean fidgeted uncomfortably. She didn't feel particularly comfortable herself, but was trying not to show it. It was past time for another dosage of medication, but she felt better than she had earlier. She moved further into the kitchen and took a pill from one of the bottles on the counter; Dean got a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"Thanks," she muttered and swallowed the medicine. "Is everyone okay at the main house?"

"Yeah. Well, they were when I talked to them last a couple of hours ago."

"What happened with Gordon?" she asked, sitting down in one of the kitchen chairs.

Dean stood at the stove and told her everything he knew. When he stopped speaking, she nodded. "I'm glad Sam didn't kill him. I think he would have regretted it."

"So do I. We talked earlier and he's okay."

Kristine rubbed her face. Despite the sleep she'd gotten, she was still tired.

"Thank you for staying with me."

Dean smiled at her and moved closer. "There's nowhere I'd rather be."

She had to blink back tears. "Look, I know I make you uncomfortable, but –"

"You don't."

She looked at him knowingly. "Dean, come on. We both know it's true. I understand."

"Oh, yeah? What do you understand?" he asked gently.

"You're scared that I'll have another breakdown. You don't like knowing I have to take medication to maintain some kind of normalcy. You…."

Dean sat down across from her and took her hand. "Stop telling me what I know."

"So, you deny it?"

He glanced away for a moment. "I worry about you."

"Worry that I'll have another breakdown or –"

"Worry that you'll start feeling bad again and you'll go back to the self-mutilation. I don't want you to hurt yourself again. I don't want you to feel that way again, Kristine."

"I don't want to feel that way again, either. That's why, even though I hate it, I'm taking the medicine and I'm going to the therapy sessions. I don't want to get sick again."

"And with what happened with Gordon today?"

"It didn't help," she smiled sadly. "But I'll call my doctor in the morning and…."

"And?"

"Do what I have to do."

"I'm glad," Dean whispered.

Kristine looked into his eyes and leaned forward, gently caressed his cheek. "So, Dean Winchester, are you staying the night?"

"Do you want me to?"

She stood up and held out her hand. Dean took it and as they walked out of the kitchen, he turned off the stove as the kettle started to whistle.

_tbc_


	5. Chapter 5

**The Song Remains The Same**

**Chapter 5**

oooOOOooo

**Disclaimer**: See chapter 1

**A/N:** I told ya it was just gonna be a baby chapter….I wasn't kidding, LOL. Thanks to Kelli for being ever-diligent in the search for missing and misplaced commas. Thanks, also, to everyone who took the time to review. It's always so helpful to know what you think worked and what didn't. And, of course, thank you to everyone who simply read my ramblings. I'd write even if it was just for me, but I'm glad I can provide some entertainment for you!

oooOOOooo

_Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so - Douglas Adams_

oooOOOooo

The next morning, Dean and Kristine went to the main house for breakfast. The woman who normally cooked for the hunters was there and had put out an impressive amount of food. Bobby had already announced that he would be leaving before noon; his things were already in his truck.

Dean piled food on a plate and went outside to the deck with Sam, who was content with coffee and a bagel.

"How's Kristine?" Sam asked.

"She seems okay."

"Dad was thinking we should get out of here pretty soon."

"I figured, but I want to stay for a while. You mind hitching a ride with Dad?"

"Of course not."

Dean nodded in between mouthfuls of food, then looked at his brother closely.

"What?" Sam asked.

"You look relaxed; you're really okay about yesterday, huh?"

"Yeah. Well, mostly."

"Good."

---

Kristine made her customary tour of the house and spoke with the staff that was just beginning to arrive before settling in the breakfast nook with a cup of coffee and a small plate of food. John found her there when he came in for a refill of coffee.

"How are you doing?" he asked, sliding into the seat across from her.

"None the worse for wear."

"Yeah?"

She recognized the look on his face. He didn't quite believe her, but didn't feel it was his place to pry.

Kristine picked at the English muffin on her plate and avoided looking at John.

"You know," John began. "I care a lot about you. If I'd had a daughter, I'd want her to be like you."

Kristine smiled at him with tears in her eyes. "No, you wouldn't."

"I wouldn't?"

"John…."

"I don't want to interfere," he assured her. "I just….Well, like I said, I care about you."

"I know you do. I appreciate and reciprocate." She smiled at him.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. But don't think that there's anything you can tell me that will change my mind about you." John stood up and kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

Kristine blinked back the tears as John walked away.

oooOOOooo

Six weeks later, Kristine was back on a regular schedule with her medication and had completely recovered from her hours with Gordon. She was still seeing her hunter-friendly therapist weekly, though she took a break to go on a road trip with Dean.

When they arrived at John's house, Sam met them at the front door, an expression on his face that Dean couldn't read.

"What's going on?" he asked before any greeting.

"Dad's on the phone with one of his contacts," Sam said. "Gordon…."

"Gordon, what?" Dean asked, the worst scenario immediately popping into his head. "Sam?"

"He was attacked in the prison yard yesterday. He's been taken to a hospital and he's not expected to live."

Dean glanced at Kristine, then back to Sam.

"Oh," he wasn't sure what to say. "How do you feel about that?"

"I don't know. I mean, I'd kind of forgotten the whole thing. Sort of."

"Why is everyone standing out here?" John asked a moment later, walking up behind Sam.

Sam moved aside so Dean and Kristine could get inside. John hugged them before they continued into the house.

"What's going on with Gordon?" Dean asked as they all sat in the small living room.

It wasn't a fancy house by any means, but it was probably the nicest place John had lived since the house he shared with Mary. There were three bedrooms and his sons were welcome any time; John always encouraged them to consider this their home.

John looked at his sons, then at Kristine, and leaned back in his chair. "Gordon made some enemies in prison. They singled him out in the yard yesterday and beat the hell out of him."

"Sam said he's not expected to live," Dean mentioned.

John nodded. "That's what I hear."

"Well," Dean said, looking closely at his brother. "It couldn't happen to a nicer guy."

Sam only nodded.

"Look, I'm not going to pretend I'm sad about Gordon's current condition. I don't think I'll be too upset if we get the call that he didn't make it. He wasn't a good guy and he didn't learn from his mistakes. He went down the wrong road and lost more than his way. But we didn't come here for this conversation," Dean said.

John looked at him curiously and Dean reached for Kristine's hand. "We've done a lot of talking in the last few weeks and….We're getting married."

John and Sam shared the same shocked expression. After a moment, Sam joked. "Kristine, are you sure you want to marry this guy? I mean, come on! _This _guy?"

John waved off his younger son and stood up to properly congratulate Dean and his soon to be daughter-in-law. Sam followed suit and soon Gordon was forgotten.

---

That night, Kristine lay in bed listening to the sounds of the house. She was happy, but more than that, she was content. She loved the Winchesters; John and Sam felt like family and she knew they felt the same way about her. Being married to a hunter wouldn't be easy; especially a hunter who was so close to his family. But it wouldn't be any harder than just being in love with one. Her feelings for Dean were the same whether they were in the same place, or not.

She heard someone in the kitchen and, suspecting it was Sam, she quietly got out of bed. She was wearing sweats and a light, long-sleeved t-shirt and padded out of the bedroom, standing just outside of Sam's field of vision. He was at the round table, hands around a glass of milk and his head down. She had second thoughts about disturbing him, but she hadn't had the chance to really talk to him since her rescue from Gordon and she suspected he was taking the recent news harder than he had let on earlier.

"Hey," she smiled, walking into the room.

He looked up, clearly startled. "Hey. I hope I didn't wake you."

"No, you didn't." Kristine poured a glass of milk for herself and settled in a chair across from him. "Do you mind?"

"Of course not. You know," he smiled at her. "I'm really happy for you and Dean."

She returned the smile. "Thanks. The nice thing is, we're both going into this with our eyes wide open. We know it won't be easy, and there are still some things to work out, but we'll make it."

He smiled, somewhat sadly, Kristine thought. She wondered if he was thinking about Jessica and Madison.

"Sam?"

He looked at her, a curious expression on his face.

"We never really talked after….well, after that night with Gordon. I hope you don't regret your decision, or blame yourself for what happened to Gordon since."

"I thought maybe you were disappointed that I didn't kill him that night," Sam said, trying to hide behind the bangs that were always too long.

"Aw, Sam, I'm sorry. No, that's not how I felt at all. I think you would have regretted killing him and I'm glad you didn't do it. And what's happened to him now? That's not your fault."

"I know."

"So, what's wrong?" she asked gently.

"I guess hearing about him again brought the feelings back. When I first heard that he was out there after me, I flashed back to when the demon was after me. All those years of having something on my tail…."

"It can't be easy. But you had your brother and your dad…."

Sam nodded. "I know. That helped, but…."

Kristine watched as he shrugged and took a long drink from the glass.

"Sam," Kristine leaned forward. "Do you still blame yourself for what happened with the demon?"

He glanced away giving Kristine her answer.

"It's not your fault. Nothing the demon did, from killing your mother to killing mine, is your fault. You're as much a victim as the rest of us."

"I keep trying to believe that."

"I don't blame you and neither does your father."

Sam nodded. "Thanks."

She touched his hand and then finished her milk. "I'm going back to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

---

Gordon didn't survive the night and John got word of his death the next morning. Kristine was glad to see that Sam reacted well to the news and when they spoke again later, he assured her that he really was all right.

Over the next couple of months, Kristine and Dean began to make plans for the wedding. Kristine had a few pangs of depression when she thought about her mother, but her girlfriends were there to help make decisions and Ellen helped out with other things that the bride's mother normally would have.

It was a small, casual affair in one of the gardens at the estate four months later. It was mid-morning in early spring and Kristine's favorite plants were in bloom. The sky was a brilliant blue and held a few puffy, white clouds. The only guests were close friends and family with an obligatory formal reception for the proper dignitaries planned for later that evening. Despite the happiness of the day, there were two people sorely missed by the Winchesters. Pastor Jim and Caleb had been casualties in the war with the yellow-eyed demon and their absence at such a momentous event was felt deeply.

It had been a busy several months between wedding plans, a few hunts and every day life. They'd been relieved to have one less thing to worry about when Gordon died and none of them, not even John, gave Dave Elliot another thought. As far as they knew, he was locked away in a state facility, still raving about vampires.

---

Even though security had been beefed up at the estate, it was still difficult to keep someone out who was determined to get in; especially when so much of the land was still not landscaped. It was easy enough to get past the cameras and sensors and hide in the woods. A pair of simple binoculars made it possible to watch what was going on just about anywhere.

There were people coming and going throughout the morning, but no one noticed the nondescript man who walked along the street outside the estate gates. No one saw him walking by and no one noticed when he veered off the road and into the woods. Similarly, no one thought to look into the woods and the glint of sunlight off the binocular lenses was unobserved.

Later, they would find out that Dave Elliot had walked out of the state hospital wearing the uniform of a guard he had just murdered. But for now, while John danced with his new daughter-in-law and Dean stood next to his brother with a huge grin on his face, there was too much happiness to think of anything unpleasant.

_fin_


End file.
